For the first time ever, the general public can see data being collected by radio telescopes, including the Allen Telescope Array (ATA) at Hut Creek California, to help search for intelligent life out there in space.

The crowd-sourcing project is a result of the TED Prize Wish made by astronomer Jill Tarter, director of the SETI Institute’s Center for SETI Research

TED Prize director Amy Novogratz said: "Three years ago, Dr. Tarter stood on the TED stage and asked us all to unite in the search for life on other planets. The TED community responded by dreaming big and working hard – with many milestones to show for it. This landmark step empowers people around the globe to meaningfully contribute to this important scientific endeavor and work towards answering the ultimate question, 'are we alone?'"

Doctor Tarter said: "There are frequencies that our automated signal detection systems now ignore, because there are too many signals there. Most are created by Earth’s communication and entertainment technologies, but buried within this noise, there may be a signal from a distant technology. I’m hoping that an army of volunteers can help us deal with these crowded frequency bands that confuse our machines. By doing this in real-time, we will have an opportunity to follow up immediately on what our volunteers discover."